Why Charity is Better than State Welfare

Sometimes I feel inspired by a sermon at weekly Mass. Normally I feel that I have learnt something important. However, it is rare that I am surprised by the contents of the priests homily. But, recently, our Parish Priest suggested that we could learn some lessons from a programme he had been watching on satellite television, broadcast by one of the US evangelical Christian networks. The evangelist had told his audience that if they were to earn an extra dollar above their planned income, they should give 10 cents of it to Jesus  no doubt using a credit card hotline given at the end of the programme  and use 10 cents to save or to pay off debts. I was surprised because I had never heard the words thrift, prudence or saving uttered by a Catholic priest before....